Paper break control for printing presses and the like



April 30, 1935. v H. H. RAYMOND PAPER BREAK CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 16, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Horace Hfiaym and A ril 30, 1935. H. H RAYMOND 1,999,618

PAPER BREAK CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 16, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Homce h'fia m 0nd April 30, 1935. H H. RAYMOND 1,999,613

PAPER BREAK CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 16, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 fiarace HRa ym and Patented Apr. 30, 1935 1,999,618

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE PAPER BREAK CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Horace H. Raymond, Berlin, Conn., assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 16, 1933, Serial No. 657,029

' 6 Claims. (01.192427) The present invention relates to an arrangeadap ed o pass- C r a o th se ol e may be ment for stopping the operation of a machine in d v y an electric motor III the Present he event that a web of paper passing thereinstance, the press is shown as being adapted to through should break. As an instance of a use accomm da e u w bs of pape bu obvious y.

I to which the present invention may be applied, my sy tem y be used in connection with a 6 reference is had to a newspaper printing press. Press y SiZe- The T0118 m w h th it being understood, however, that my improvepaper is taken, the folders and the other instruments may be applied to other machines, such mentalities with which the press is usua P as paper making machines. vided are not illustrated as they form no part 10 The aim of the invention is to provide an imof the present invention. 10 proved arrangement of this sort having various n accordance W the Present invention, there features of novelty and advantage and which is is provided a plurality of light sensitive devices, particularly characterized by its extreme simsuch as photo-electric cells, distributed in the maplicity; by its economy in manufacture and the chine .so that there is one at least such device facility with which it may be installed; by its associated with each web of paper Pas g 15 effectiveness in operation in that it will result through the machine. Associated with each of in immediate stoppage of the press in the event the photo-electric cells is a source of light, such the paper should break; which is very flexible as an electric lamp, positioned to the same side in operation in that it may be adjusted very quickof the paper as the cell itself and so located that,

ly and easily to take care of the desired number when the paper is passing in front of these in- 20 of webs of paper passing through the machine; strumentalities, the light from the lamp will be which is capable of being nicely controlled withreflected by the paper onto a respective cell. out any high degree of skill to take care of a The cells are connected in series to a suitable large number of variables such as the charactercurrent responsive device which is here shown istics of the paper, light conditions existing in as being in the form of a vacuum tube and a 25 the press room, etc., and which is not liable to relay coupled therewith. The relay is adapted get out of order or cause any trouble. to control the motor M which drives the press Other objects will be in part obvious, and in and also, if desired, the relay may control a brakpart pointed out more in detail hereinafter. ing device (not shown) for immediately stopping The invention accordingly consists in the fearotation of the rolls of paper when the power 80 tures of construction, combination of elements is thrown off. The total current passing through and arrangement of parts which will be exemthe four photo-electric cells is limited, of course, plified in the construction hereinafter set forth by the cell receiving the least light, and the our-- and the scope of the application of which will rent passing through the current responsive debe indicated in the appended claims. vice or vacuum tube is the average of the re- 35 In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have fiected light received by all of the photo-electric shown, for illustrative purposes, one embodiment cells from the particular edition of the newswhich the present invention may take, paper being printed. There are many factors Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing, more or and conditions of a variable nature which affect less diagrammatically, my improved system of the amount of light received by the cells and 40 control applied to a newspaper printing press; the resultant amount of current impressed upon Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of a unit which the current responsive device, and therefore, in includes a photoelectric Cell a d a p; order that the system may be quickly and easily 3 s a V ew looking a th p of the unit; adapted to the particular conditions at hand,

4 Fi 4 i a View f he unit looking at that there is coupled with that device and the photos de w c i normally pp d the P p e electric cells means operable at will, for increasand ing or decreasing the current impressed upon the i 5 IS a View Similar to 2 but Showing current responsive device. There is also provided cover or hood thr w k an indicator in the form of a milliammeter for Referring to the drawings in detail, there is indicating the current passing through the vac- 50 shown, in F 1 th s u h f a pri t uum tube and the relay. As hereinafter pointed pr s as is necessary to illustrate one app a i n out in detail, during the normal operation of the Of my i p d System This printing p e s is press if any one of the cells becomes darkened, shown as having a frame A in which are mounted which would be the case if the paper should break,

8 plurality f rollers B over which the paper is the current through the vacuum tube ceases, with 55 the result that the relay opens and the press is stopped.

Having now briefly described the general setup of the system, the various instrumentalities thereof will now be described in detail, reference first being had to the construction of the several electric eye units distributed through the press and each consisting of a photo-electric cell and a lamp.

Each unit includes a base comprising a steel box iii mounted on a steel base plate l which in turn is suitably mounted in inclined position on brackets H supported by a cross beam I2 of the press. Interposed between the steel box i0 and the base plate 10' is a relatively thick rubber sheet gasket H), which serves the important purpose of keeping out of the base the flying lint charged with printers ink. This fine, black lint is a conductor of electricity and would soon short circuit the photo-electric cell if allowed to get at the terminals thereof. Mounted on the base is a photo-electric cell 13 and a lamp or light bulb l4. Hinged to the upper corner of the box is a cover or hood l5 having a top, rear and end wall. The front of the hood is open. Carried by the hood is a partition 15 which, when the hood is in the operative position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is interposed between the cell and the lamp so as to prevent rays of light from passing directly from the lamp to the cell. During the normal operation of the press, the light from the lamp will fall onto the paper and be reflected by the paper onto the cell so that current will pass through the latter. In the event the paper should break so that it no longer passes under a unit, the cell immediately becomes darkened causing the resistance of the cell to increase to a point where little or no current will pass through it, whereupon the relay is opened and the press stops. It frequently happens, in running a newspaper printing press or paper making machine that the full capacity of the machine is not employed and no paper is run at a certain location and it is then necessary to render the photoelectric unit operative at that point. With the present arrangement, this is done by merely raising the cover to the position shown in Fig. 5 at that point where no paper is run. With the cover raised, light from the lamp will fall directly onto its associated cell. It will be observed that, with the arrangement of unit described, the terminals of the lamp and photo-electric cell are located in a tight base where dust, printers ink and moisture cannot enter. The hood, when in closed position, protects the lamp and cell. Also, the light bulb and the photo-electric cell bulb can be wiped ofi with a cloth after raising the hood, which is a. simplified way of keeping the optical parts clean.

The lamps may be connected to the current supply lines 25. The cells l3 are connected in series in a circuit or line 26 which is connected across the grid 21 and the plate 28 of the vacuum tube V. The relay R is located in a circuit 29 which also includes the plate 28, the filament 30 of the vacuum tube and batteries (or a transformer) 3| and a milliammeter 45. So long as there is sufficient current passing through the photo-electric cells to maintain a predetermined negative grid potential, current passes through the relay so as to maintain the same in closed position.

There are many variables involved in the amount of reflected light received by the cells. among which may be mentioned the density of the newsprint, the color of the paper, the light from a window which may strike the paper and illuminate one section brighter than others, the time of day, the sensitivity of the cells which will vary from time to time, the age of the lamps, dust which may have collected on the lamp and cell bulbs, line voltage variations, and others. With respect to the first mentioned variable, it is apparent that the different photo-electric u'nits look at different pages of the newspaper and the newsprint is not of the same density on all of the pages. For example, black advertisements may be on page 5 directly in line with one unit while ordinary newsprint, not so black, may be in line with another cell on page 2. The total current passing through the four cells, therefore, is limited by the cell receiving the least light. In order to take care of these variables and factors, and thus insure, during normal operation, that the correct amount of current is impressed upon the current responsive device, manually adjustable means are provided for so reducing or increasing the current impressed upon that device as may be required to suit the particular existing light and other variable conditions. This means is in the form of a potentiometer P having a resistance element 40 coupled to a battery 4|. The potentiometer has an adjustable contactor 42 adapted to engage the resistance element and connected by a wire 43 to the grid 21, there being l interposed in this wire a grid leak and condenser designated generally by the letters LC.

In order to determine the amount of current flowing in the plate circuit and thus determine what the setting of the potentiometer should be, there is interposed in the circuit 29 a meter 45 immediately adjacent the potentiometer. By preference, the milliammeter and potentiometer are mounted together in a box (not shown) fixed to one of the pilasters of the press frame in a position easily reached by the pressman.

The operation of the device is briefly as follows: Just before going to press, the pressman switches on the lights !4 and reads the meter.

If the full capacity of the press is not to be used, f

then the unit associated with the unused section is rendered operative by merely throwing back the cover of that unit as previously described. He then starts the press turning over so that the dark cuts and black headlines of the paper may pass the several photo-electric cells rapidly, thus giving each cell the average impulse. The pressman will now read the meter and, in accordance with that reading, will.turn the potentiometer knob one way or the other so as to bring the reading up to standard that is, to a point where it is indicated that the proper potential is impressed upon the grid of the vacuum tube. The pressman may then darken one of the cells, if he wishes, in order to make sure that the control is working properly. He then turns the press at high speed and may wish to give the potentiometer knob a final adjustment as the reading on the meter may change slightly due to the increased rapidity in the passage of the newsprint before the electric cells. The press is now in normal operation and sufficient current is passing through the relay to maintain that relay closed, which means that the motor M for driving the press is maintained in running condition. So long as the paper continues to pass before each unit, light falling onthe paper from a lamp will be reflected onto a respective cell. In the event, however, that any section or web of the paper should break, light will no longer be reflected on the cell associated with that section and that cell immediately becomes darkened and its resistance rises to a point where current will stop flowing. The relay is thereupon immediately released and the motor is stopped. It may be here stated that there may also be associated with that relay a suitable brake device for immediately stopping the rolls of paper of the press as soon as the motor is thrown out so that the roll of paper will not overrun and cause the surplus paper to become tangled in the moving parts of the press. The numeral 50 designates a manually operable circuit breaker, such as a push button, for throwing the current off of the motor,'at will.

'It is very desirous to have the light reflected from a relatively large area of the paper to each photo-electric cell since if the reflecting area were relatively small, say a spot about one-half an inch between the margins of the paper is utilized as the reflecting area. With such an arrangement.

small holes in the paper and relatively large ink blots will not affect the electric eyes. The reflecting area in the present instance is also so large that very black cuts will not contain enough solid black spaces as to substantially affect the electric eye.

It will further be observed from the.foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that the various cells are connected up in series with the relay or other appa ratus for stopping the rolls of paper when one of the cells becomes darkened, and these various cells or electric eye units may all be regulated or adjusted from one position by any non-technical or unskilled person. In adjusting the eye units it is unnecessary to use a portable testing meter or other instruments or to reach or climb up to each of the individual units. The system may be very easily and quickly adjusted or regulated for any existing light conditions at the time of going to press.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a machine having means for passing paper webs therethrough, a plurality of electric eye units distributed through the machine a light sensitive device positioned to the same side of a web and arranged so that the light from the source is reflected by the surface of the web onto the associated light sensitive device, and current responsive means coupled to all of said light sensitive devices and arranged to result in stoppage of the machine in the event a web ceases to pass in front of any one of said units, each of said units including a member normally interposed between the source of light and the light sensitive device for preventing the light from passing directly from the source to the device, said member being movable out of interposed position.

2. In combination, a machine having means for passing webs of paper therethrough, a plurality of electric eye units distributed through the machine; each of said units including a source of light and a light sensitive device positioned to the same side of the web and mounted on a common base so that the light from the source is reflected by the web onto the associated light sensitive device, a hood for said source of light and device open at that side which is adjacent to the web of paper passing in front of the unit, and a partition member in said hood interposed between said source of light and said device when the hood is in operative position said hood being movably hinged to said base so as to withdraw the partition from interposed position; and current responsive means coupled to all of said devices and arranged to result in stoppage of the machine when any one of said devices is darkened.

3. A system of web break control for printing machines and the like, and including a plurality of electric eye units distributed in the machine and each including a source of light and a light sensitive device positioned to the same side of the web and so arranged that the light from the source is reflected by the web onto the associated light sensitive device, current responsive means to which said devices are coupled in series and arranged to result in stoppage of the machine when any one of said devices becomes darkened, adjustable means supplemental to said devices for increasing the current impressed upon said cur rent responsive means, and -a meter coupled to said current responsive means for indicating the amount of current impressed thereon.

4. An electric eye unit including a base, a lamp supported thereby.a photo-electric cell on said base, a hood pivoted to said base and adapted to enclose said lamp and cell, said hood being open at that side in front of which a paper web or the like is adapted to pass, and a partition carried bysaid hood and interposed between said lamp and cell when the hood is in normal position, said hood being swingable to an inoperative position whereby to withdraw said partition from interposed position. k

5. In combination, a machine having means for passing paper webs therethrough, a plurality of units distributed in said machine and each comprising a source of light and a photo-electric cell located to the same side of the web and so arranged that the light from the source is reflected by the surface of the web onto the associated cell, a vacuum tube to which all of said photo-electric cells are coupled in series and through which current is adapted to pass so long as all of said cells receive reflected light from the webs, and a circuit interrupting instrumentality operatively connected to said vacuum tube and adapted to stop said machine when opened by increased electrical resistancein any one of said photo-electric cells.

6. In combination, a machine having means for passing paper webs therethrough, a plurality of units distributed in said machine and each comprising a source of light and a photo-electric cell located to the same side of the web and so arranged that the light from the source is refiected by the surface of the web onto the associated cell, a vacuum tube through which current is adapted to pass so long as all of said cells receive reflected light from the webs, all of said cells being connected in series to said tube, a circuit interrupting instrumentality operatively connected to said vacuum tube and adapted to stop said machine when opened by increased electrical resistance in any one of said photo-electric cells, adjustable means associated with said vacuum tube to vary the current impressed thereon and to compensate for variations in the light refleeting characteristics of the webs, and indicating means for determining the amount of current impressed upon said vacuum tube.

HORACE H. RAYMOND. 

